To maximize skiing enjoyment, proficiency, and safety, all skiers should have their equipment anatomically adjusted. One of the most critical anatomical adjustments is referred to as “canting”.
Canting alters the lateral tilt or “cant angle” at which a boot supports a skier's foot and lower leg, relative to the longitudinal running surface or bottom plane of an attached ski. Optimizing the cant angle improves skeletal alignment and allows the skier to tilt or “edge” the ski with the least amount of muscular effort.
In the 1993 book “The Athletic Skier”, authors Warren Witherell and David Evrard wrote that, “Only when properly canted can our bodies and skis work as efficiently as possible. By tilting or canting our boots, we can precisely control the geometry of our legs and establish an ideal position over our skis. Canting is the final step in the alignment process that makes efficient and balanced skiing possible for all skiers.”
Recent changes in equipment design have only magnified the importance of optimizing a skier's cant angle. Some of these changes include the lateral stiffening of boot shells, the increased elevation or stand-height of binding systems, and the exaggerated sidecut or shape of modern skis.
Unfortunately most ski shops still do not offer canting services, therefore, only a small percentage of skiers ever have their cant angle tested or altered. There are numerous reasons for this which will become apparent in the review of prior art.